Slut-Shaming vs. STD-Shaming: Which Would You Rather?

Slut-Shaming vs. STD-Shaming: Which Would You Rather?

Sometimes it feels like we haven't come too far from shaming women à la The Scarlett Letter's Hester Prynne. And in some cases, the humiliation happens on national television.

After being interrupted by a drunk woman on Bourbon Street, a New Orleans TV reporter asked the 49ers fan, "How long have you had an STD?"

Perhaps she was trying to make light of the awkward (live) situation or trying to push her away by embarrassing her — which sort of worked (see the clip below). The partygoer, who does not have an STD, looked shocked and offended, calling the incident "disrespectful." And it was.

Whether the woman had an STD or not is sort of irrelevant, because of what the reporter was assuming about this woman's sexual behavior. Is it ever OK to publically call someone out for having an a sexually-transmitted disease, given the stigma behind it?

Like slut-shaming, this humiliation-tactic tied to sexuality is only becoming more widespread with the popularity of social media and technology — think about how easy it is to hide behind a computer and type out that someone gets around or probably has HPV.

Given what society assumes about you when someone says you have an STD and when you're a slut: Which would you rather be called?